Time-controlled fuze arming mechanism



A113. 23, 1966 w. v. PADULA 3,267,855

TIME-CONTROLLED FUZE' ARMING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 5, 1964 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM V. PADULA 4 W ATTORNEYS 3,267,855 Ice Patented August 23, 1966 3,267,855 TIME-CONTROLLED FUZE ARMING MECHANISM William V. Padula, Cranford, N.J., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Nov. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 409,334 4 Claims. (Cl. 10283) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to mechanisms and, more particularly, to a projectile fuze mechanism having an improved arming and detonating arrangement.

In existing fuze mechanisms, the arming and detonating arrangment has failed to fire under various environmental test conditions. Chiefly due to assorted variances in minute tolerances, the failures or duds were caused by premature release of the firing pin prior to the detonator being moved into its arming position.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a fuze arming mechanism which will reliably eliminate malfunctions, due to premature firing pin actuation, by obtaining proper successive arming action prior to detonation.

Another object of the invention is to provide such arrangement having a minimum of parts and cost of production.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in consideration with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view partially broken away, or sectional, of a rocket fuze in which the principles of the invention have been applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the arming and detonating mechanism embodied in the rocket fuze.

The rocket fuze generally at 11 (FIG. 1) preferably has a housing 12 provided with a peripheral recess 13 exposing graduated scales on assembled dial 14 of a timing mechanism shown generally at 15. Indicia means are located on an inclined indexing surface 16 to facilitate predetermined setting of the timer dial.

At the output of the timing mechanism, a timing disc 18 is rotatably mounted for movement in a substantially horizontal plane. The peripheral edge of disc 18 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is provided with means preferably in the form of inwardly extending slot 19 (FIG. 2) for receiving spaced protuberances 21, 22 of a double-pronged firing arm 23 which is suitably secured to vertically extending double-D shaft 24. An appropriately secured torsion spring 25 or the like, biasing protuberance 21 against the disc peripheral edge in a first position of shaft 24, is sufficient to force the respective protuberances 21, 22 into the aligned slot means of the disc as the latter rotates in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 2). As first prong 21 enters slot 19, corresponding rotation of shaft 24 to a second or intermediate arming position places second prong 22 against the disc periphery. Upon further disc rotation, prong 22 enters slot 19 and shaft 24 continues rotation to a third or firing position.

The enlarged portion 26 of shaft 24 is provided with two axially spaced, reduced intermediate portions 27, 28, each of which is of a D cross-sectional configuration having an arcuate camming surface and a respective detent or straight edge 29, 29'. The separate cam portions 27, 28 have their respective detent or fiat surfaces 29, 29' so oriented with the second and third positions of shaft 24 such that one portion 30 of rotor arm 31 and firing pin latching means 33, each normally urged or cammed toward the right (FIG. 2), are released and free to move in the opposite direction. Rotor arm 31 is preferably biased by an appropriately secured torsion spring 34 or the like such that upon release its detonator receiving portion 35 will be moved leftward against a stop means (not shown) to an armed or second position underlying firing pin 36 carried by one end of pivoted lever 37. The other end 38 of lever 37 is bifurcated to receive the portion of firing pin actuating rod 39 extending between flanges 40, 41 carried thereby.

Firing pin latching or cam means 33 normally engages rod 39 just above its tapered flange 42. Flange 40 serves to arrest accidental actuating movement of the firing pin 36, and flange 42 is strongly biased upwardly against latch 33 by a large spring 44 that is located intermediate flange 42 and a fixed element 45. With the parts all located in arming or intermediate shaft position, continued operation of the mechanism will rotate camshaft 24 to its third position where prong 22 enters slot 19 and as a consequence cam 28 rotates to a position where its detent 29' permits release of latch 33 from behind the inclined upper surface of spring biased flange 42. Thereupon, the powerful spring 44 rapidly forces rod 39 and its lever actuating flange 41 upwardly. The resulting firing pin actuation is thus positively delayed until after the rotor arm 31 has cleared its cam 27 and had an opportunity to move with its detonator receiving portion 35 to their armed positions.

Various modifications, alterations and changes may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fuze arming mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted timing disc having slot means extending inwardly from its peripheral edge,

a shaft extending transversely of said disc and rotatable between three predetermined successive positions,

a firing arm extending from said shaft,

said arm having a pair of spaced protuberances,

separate cam means on said shaft,

a pivoted rotor arm normally engaged by one of said cam means and biased for movement to a fully armed position when disengaged and said shaft reaches its second position,

firing pin latching means normally engaged by the other of said cam means and biased for movement to a retracted position when disengaged and said shaft reaches its third position, and

means biasing said shaft for rotation from a first position with one of said protuberances engaging said disc peripheral edge, successively to its second position with said one protuberance engaging said slot means and to its third position with the other protubcrance engaging said slot means.

2. A fuze arming mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted timing disc having slot means extending inwardly from its peripheral edge,

a shaft extending transversely of said disc and rotatable between three predetermined successive positions,

a firing arm extending from said shaft,

said arm having a pair of spaced protuberances,

separate cam means on said shaft,

a pivoted rotor arm normally engaged by one of said cam means and biased for movement to a fully armed position when disengaged and said shaft reaches its second position,

firing pin latching means normally engaged by the other of said cam means and biased for movement to a retracted position when disengaged and said shaft reaches its third position, and

means biasing said shaft for rotation from a first position with one of said protuberances engaging said disc peripheral edge, successively to its second position with said one protuberance engaging said slot means and the other protuberance engaging said disc peripheral edge and to its third position with the other protuberance engaging said slot means.

3. A fuze arming mechanism comprising a timing disc rotatably mounted for movement in a predetermined plane and having slot means therein extending inwardly from the periphery thereof,

a rotatable shaft extending transversely of said disc,

a firing arm fixed upon and extending laterally of said shaft,

said arm having a pair of spaced protuberances,

means normally biasing one of said protuberances against the periphery of said disc,

separate cam means on said shaft each having a detent therein,

a pivoted rotor arm having a first portion normally engaging one of said separate cam means and a detonator receiving portion movable to a predetermined firing position when said first portion is released by said one cam detent upon rotation of said shaft when said one protuberance enters said slot means,

a firing pin overlying said detonator receiving portion when the latter is in said firing position,

means biasing said pin toward said detonator receiving portion,

pivotally mounted cam means having a first portion normally retaining said firing pin in an inoperative position in opposition to said pin biasing means and a second portion normally engaging the other of said separate cam means for maintaining said cam first portion in said normally retaining position, and

means normally biasing said second cam portion against said other separate cam means,

so constructed and arranged that upon continued rotation of said disc after said detonator receiving portion has moved to said firing position, the other of said protuberances will enter said slot means to further rotate said shaft and said other cam detent will enable said pin retaining portion to be moved to an inoperative position and permit actuation of said firing pin.

4. In a rocket fuze having a timing disc rotatably mounted relative to said projectile fuze for movement in a predetermined plane, said disc having slot means therein extending from the periphery thereof,

a rotatable shaft extending transversely of said disc,

at firing arm fixed upon and extending laterally of said shaft,

said arm having a pair of spaced protuberances,

means normally biasing one of said protuberances against the periphery of said disc,

separate cam means on said shaft each having a detent therein,

a pivoted rotor arm having a first portion normally engaging one of said separate cam means and means for moving a detonator receiving portion to a predetermined firing position when said first portion is released by said one cam detent upon rotation of said shaft when said one protuberance enters said slot means,

a firing pin overlying said detonator receiving portion when the latter is in said firing position,

means biasing said pin toward said detonator receiving portion,

pivotally mounted cam means having a first portion normally retaining said firing pin in an inoperative position in opposition to said pin biasing means and a second portion normally engaging the other of said separate cam means for maintaining said cam first portion in said normally retaining position, and

means normally biasing said second cam portion against said other separate cam means,

so constructed and arranged that upon continued rotation of said disc after said detonator receiving portion has moved to said firing position, the other of said protuberances will enter said slot means to further rotate said shaft and said other cam detent will enable said pin retaining portion to be moved to an inoperative position and permit actuation of said firing pin.

No references cited.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

G. H. GLANZMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FUZE ARMING MECHANISM COMPRISING A ROTATABLY MOUNTED TIMING DISC HAVING SLOT MEANS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM ITS PERIPHERAL EDGE, A SHAFT EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID DISC AND ROTATABLE BETWEEN THREE PREDETERMINED SUCCESSIVE POSITIONS, A FIRING ARM EXTENDING FROM SAID SHAFT, SAID ARM HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED PROTUBERANCES, SEPARATE CAM MEANS ON SAID SHAFT, A PIVOTED ROTOR ARM NORMALLY ENGAGED BY ONE OF SAID CAM MEANS AND BIASED FOR MOVEMENT TO A FULLY ARM POSITION WHEN DISENGAGED AND SAID SHAFT REACHES ITS SECOND POSITION, FIRING PIN LATCHING MEANS NORMALLY ENGAGED BY THE OTHER OF SAID CAM MEANS AND BIASED FOR MOVEMENT SHAFT REACHES ITS THIRD POSITION, AND MEANS BIASING SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION FROM A FIRST POSITION WITH ONE OF SAID PROTUBERANCES ENGAGING SAID DISC PERIPHERAL EDGE, SUCCESSIVELY TO ITS SECOND POSITION WITH SAID ONE PROTUBERANCE ENGAGING SAID SLOT MEANS AND TO ITS THIRD POSITION WITH THE OTHER PROTUBERANCE ENGAGING SAID SLOT MEANS. 